University of Minnesota Athletics
MHK: Golden Gophers Prepare for 2005 NCAA Frozen Four
3/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
- Click Here For Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Notes
The University of Minnesota men’s hockey team heads to its third NCAA Frozen Four in the last four years next weekend and will face an all-WCHA field on Thursday-Saturday, April 7-9, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The fourth-seeded Golden Gophers (28-14-1) take on rival North Dakota (24-14-5) in the second National Semifinal on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m., Eastern time. The Maroon and Gold advanced to its 19th NCAA Frozen Four with two dramatic overtime wins over Maine and Cornell last weekend in the 2005 NCAA West Regional at Mariucci Arena. In the other National Semifinal, arch- rivals Denver (30-9-2) and Colorado College (31-8-3) face off at 2 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, April 9 at 7 p.m., in the National Championship Game. The National Semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN2, while the National Championship Game will be on ESPN. All of Minnesota’s games can be heard locally on WCCO 830 AM.
Minnesota at the NCAAs
Minnesota is making its nation-leading 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its fifth in a row. Michigan currently holds the NCAA record for consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with 15. The Maroon and Gold had 13 straight appearances from 1985-97. The Golden Gophers have won five NCAA titles (1974-76-79 -2002-03) and have advanced to the Frozen Four 18 times. Minnesota is 49-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The 49 wins is the most by any team in the nation, with the Wolverines ranking second with 44. The Golden Gophers’ .628 winning percentage in the tournament ranks fourth all-time as North Dakota leads the way at .702 (33-14). Since the NCAA adopted the regional format in 1992, the Golden Gophers own a 12-6 record in NCAA Regional action.
Minnesota at the Frozen Four
The Maroon and Gold will be making their 19th NCAA Frozen Four appearance in school history. The 19 appearances rank third behind Michigan's 22 and Boston University's 20. Minnesota is 19-15 (.559) in Frozen Four games. UM’s 19 wins ranks third all-time behind Michigan (24) and North Dakota (20), while its .559 winning percentage is eighth. The Golden Gophers are currently on a four-game winning streak at the NCAA Frozen Four after going 2-0 in both the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Frozen Fours en route to back-to-back National Championships. Minnesota has not lost at the Frozen Four since falling 7-3 to Boston University in 1995.
UM is 11-7 all-time in National Semifinal games, 5-6 in National Championship games and 3-2 in third-place games. The Maroon and Gold has won a fourth-best five NCAA titles (1974, ‘76, ‘79, 2002, ‘03) behind Michigan’s nine, North Dakota’s seven and Denver’s six, and is tied with Wisconsin. UM has qualified for the NCAA Frozen Four in three of the last four seasons.
